Presently, one issue of central importance for content providers is the management of copyright for works licensed to end users. Digital rights management (DRM) is an emerging field with the goal of providing management regimes for the protection of copyright on digital content, such as digitally encoded music and films, as well as computer programs and computer program components. Due to the nature of digital works, content in a digital form can often be duplicated with relative ease unless the content is managed through various technical forms of use-restriction.
Systems currently used for managing digital content typically employ hardware-based solutions to prevent unauthorized duplication or access. One such technique can be implemented with key codes programmed into a memory location in firmware. For example, a key code may be included in a nonvolatile memory format such as a flash card upon which a program, such as a game, is stored. The key code stored on the memory allows a user to access a program, such as a game, when the memory is inserted into a device that can read the key code. In this manner, a use license is implemented for the game each time the memory is inserted into a game console, and copying, as well as unauthorized use or access, can be prevented. Thus a user can be granted a restricted use license for a game at the time of purchase, and the restricted use license travels with the game on a memory storage device on which the game is stored. However, many programs and games are available for purchase electronically online, and therefore hardware-based content-management is either not applicable, or simply impractical to implement. Furthermore, at present, there is a desire among both content providers and consumers to provide greater portability for access rights related to digital content than has been possible using currently available methodologies. This problem is evident, for example, when trying to control digital rights in regard to software that is accessed at a central online site by a licensed user using a different computing device than was employed when the license to the software was originally acquired by the user. The user will want to freely access the software, but the online central site must be able to determine that the user is licensed to do so. Accordingly, effective solutions for the management of digital content use-rights are likely to be in high demand in coming years, as digital media becomes the standard format for information exchange.